Noise damping headset with a throat microphone

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a noise damping headset comprising at least one microphone and at least one ear phone intended to be connected via electrical conduits, preferably wires, to a transmitter and a receiver, preferably a mobile telephone, a communication radio or the like for communication between persons. The microphone consists of throat microphone for direct or indirect contact against the skin around a throat, the equipment mainly being sound tightening for sounds, coming from outside, from emerging into the throat microphone and the ear phone comprises a funnel-shape for inserting the same into the auditory canal of a person&#39;s ear, the outer limiting surfaces of the funnel-shape being sound tightening against the walls of the auditory canal, the sound coming from outside being prevented from emerging into the auditory canal, whereby a communication between said persons can be held without being disturbed in a greater extent of the sound coming from outside.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application is a 35 U.S.C. §§ 371 national phase conversionof PCT/SE2004/001275, filed Sep. 3, 2004, which claims priority ofSwedish Application No. 0302404-9, filed Sep. 4, 2003. The PCTInternational Application was published in the English language.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a noise damping headset intended to beconnected via electrical conduits to a mobile telephone or acommunication radio for communication between persons. The headsetcomprises a throat microphone, which is tight against sound coming fromoutside, and at least one ear phone, which is tight against the walls ofthe auditory canal, so that sounds coming from outside are substantiallyprevented from entering into the auditory canal of an ear, so that acommunication between said persons can be held without being disturbedby the sound coming from outside.

In connection to the devices present on the market today noise damping“headsets” are used in order to communicate with persons in a workingplace or between people in vehicles, such as tractors, cars, motorbikes, and so on, via one or more communication radios or via mobiletelephones. These headsets are made as receivers, which surround theouter ears of a person, in order to stop noise coming from outside. Thereceivers are made of a sound insulating material. Owing to this, mostof the noise coming from outside leaks into the auditory canal of theear. The receivers are connected by a spring clamp extending over thehead. A microphone is fixed to the receivers or the clamp via an arm, sothat the microphone is located near the mouth of the user during the useof the noise damping headset. A substantial amount of the noise comingfrom outside emerges into the microphone and disturbes thecommunication. It is previously known to put in ear phones with afunnel-shape having wings for its fixing into the ear without using aclamp. If such structures are used, one certainly receive a tighteningof the sound coming from outside but the microphone leaks in too much ofthis sound. Thus this solution still does not function. One device usesbuilt in ear phones and microphone in a helmet intended to be used atworking places and said vehicles. In this device too much of the soundcoming from outside leaks in. Between people on motorbikes nocommunication can be made at speeds over 50 to 70 km/hour, mostlybecause of the sound coming from outside leaking into the microphone butalso because the ear phones in the helmet are also sound-leaking.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The object of the present invention is to solve the problems mentionedabove by using ear phones and throat microphones which are mainly tightfor sound coming from outside.

Thanks to the invention a noise damping headset has now been provided,which comprises a microphone and ear phones, which are connected viaelectrical conduits such as wires to a mobile telephone or acommunication radio for communication between persons. The microphoneincludes a throat microphone for contacting the skin around a throat, sothat the structure is mainly sound-tight against sound coming fromoutside to prevent it from leaking into the throat microphone. Inproviding the ear phone with a funnel-shape, which is inserted into theauditory canal of the ear, the outer limiting surfaces of thefunnel-shape are connected with the walls of the auditory canal and aresound tightening in this way against the sound coming from outside toprevent it from leaking into the auditory canal and further into theinner ear. When both the throat microphone and the ear phones are thussound insulated from sound coming from outside, a communication betweenthe persons can be made without being disturbed in a greater extent ofthe sound coming from outside. In a preferred embodiment example of theinvention, the funnel-shape is provided with at least one surroundingwing, which functions as a sound tightening joint or as a fasteningelement. In this case, the ear phone is fixed in the auditory canal atthe same time as the fastening element is sound-tightens better againstthe walls of the auditory canal, so that sound coming from outside in abetter way is kept outside the ear phone. In an alternative embodimentexample of the invention, the throat microphone is equipped so that themicrophone itself is fixed in a cap and turned to a direction towardsthe skin around the throat and in that place cast in the surroundingsilicone, so that the sound coming from outside has difficulty to emergethrough the surrounding silicone. In order to get a good contact of thethroat microphone against the skin around the throat, the throatmicrophone is fixed to a clamp, which is resilient so that the clamp canbe biased around e.g. the neck of a person, throat or other part of thebody, so that a better tightening at the tightening collar is provided.The throat microphone can of course be fixed against the skin by aid ofa tape or by aid of a connected rubber strip or a connected stripintended to be tied around any part of the body. The greatest advantageswith the invention are that a noise damping headset has been created,which substantially stops sound coming from outside to emerge into theauditory canal, so that a communication between persons can be performedwithout being disturbed in any greater extent also during high noiselevels. Further the headset is very light and takes little place and isalso cheep to manufacture. It can be used in ordinary protecting helmetsand MC-helmets, which also gives a great economical saving. During acommunication the person, who is talking and listening in the headsetspeaks at a much lower loudness level, so that persons located nearbyare not disturbed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be described in more detail below by aid of somepreferred embodiment examples with reference to the drawings enclosed,in which

FIG. 1 illustrates a partly transluced perspective view of a head of aperson using a headset,

FIG. 2 illustrates in a part view a) an earphone having a funnel shapein a side view before said funnel shape is inserted into the auditorycanal. The part view c) illustrates the funnel shape in a verticalsection after having been inserted into the auditory canal. The partview c) illustrates an alternative embodiment example av said funnelshape in a side view before the same has been inserted into the auditorycanal,

FIG. 3 illustrates a throat microphone in a vertical section and whichis lying in contact with the skin around a throat and

FIG. 4 illustrates a throat microphone in a vertical section lying incontact with the skin around a throat having a directed microphone.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

As can be seen from FIG. 1, a person is illustrated equipped with anoise damping headset 1 comprising two earphones 3, inserted intoauditory canals 8 and fixed in a sound tightening way, so that sound 11coming from outside does not emerge into the auditory canal 8, and athroat microphone lying in contact with the skin around the throat 6.The earphones 3 and the throat microphone are connected via conduits 18to a transmitter and a receiver 4. The throat microphone 5 is fixed to aclamp 19. The contact against the throat 6 sound-tightens from the sound11 coming from outside to emerge into the throat microphone 5.

In FIG. 2, it is illustrated in a part view a) the ear phone 3 having afunnel shape 7 with outer limiting surfaces 9, which are to bepositioned in a continuous contact with the walls 10 of the auditorycanal 8 to sound-tighten the ear phone against the walls 10 of theauditory canal 8. In part view b), the ear phone 3 is illustrated whenthe same is inserted into the auditory canal 8. In part view c), thelimiting surfaces 9 are completed with surrounding wings 12, whichconsist of a sound tightening joint 13 or of a fixing element 14.

In FIG. 3 a throat microphone 5 is illustrated having a tighteningfrustoconical flange or collar 15, which for better tightening againstthe skin around a throat 6 has a gradually expanding inner diameter andis opened towards the wearer's skin.

In FIG. 4, the throat microphone 5 is illustrated as formed with a cap16, in which a microphone 17 directed towards the skin around the throat6 is cast in the surrounding silicone.

1. A noise damping headset comprising: at least one throat microphone ofa wearer's throat, the throat microphone being configured to preventoutside sound from leaking into the microphone, the throat microphoneincluding a tightening frustoconical flange having a gradually expandinginner diameter such that an area with a largest inner diameter is openin a direction of the wearer's throat and is positioned against thewearer's throat to tighten a contact between the throat microphone andthe wearer's throat; at least one earphone having a funnel-shaped bodywith outer limiting surfaces, the earphone being configured forinsertion into an auditory canal of a wearer's ear, such that the outerlimiting surfaces of the funnel-shaped body of the earphone arepositioned in a continuous tight contact against walls of the auditorycanal to prevent outside sound from leaking into the auditory canal; andan electrical conduit operable to connect the throat microphone and theearphone to a communication device.
 2. A headset according to claim 1,wherein the funnel-shaped body of the earphone includes at least onesurrounding wing shaped and operable to secure the earphone within theauditory canal and to further tighten the earphone against the walls ofthe auditory canal.
 3. A headset according to claim 1, furthercomprising a cap having a silicone material placed therein, the throatmicrophone being cast in the silicone material.
 4. A headset accordingto claim 1, wherein at least one of the earphone and the throatmicrophone is fixed in a clamp.
 5. A headset according to claim 2,wherein the surrounding wing comprises a rubber material.
 6. A headsetaccording to claim 1, wherein the tightening frustoconical flangecomprises is a rubber material.
 7. A headset according to claim 1,further comprising a resilient clamp, the throat microphone being fixedin the clamp wherein the clamp is operable to pressing the throatmicrophone towards the skin around the throat.
 8. A headset accordingclaim 1, wherein the throat microphone is fixed to the skin around thethroat by one of a tape, a connected rubber strip and a connected striptied around a body part.